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Day 138 of 280 · 19 weeks + 5 days

Cramp

Last reviewed · 3 min read · 6 sources · Plain-text version

Nineteen weeks and five days. Leg cramps join the list around now; tonight's job is a calf stretch at the wall, and knowing what to do when one hits at 3 a.m.

Size this week
about the size of a beef tomato
Length this week
around 15.3 cm from head to bottom
A woman with a small bump in pajamas standing in a dim bedroom, both hands flat on the wall and one leg stretched back, a bedside lamp the only light.

Nineteen weeks and five days. Today is about the calf that seizes in the middle of the night, and the two-minute stretch that may make it happen less.

Your baby

One large ripe beef tomato on a plain pale wooden table, soft window light.

Around 15.3cm from head to bottom, about the size of a beef tomato (NHS). Behind the first set of teeth, the adult teeth are starting to form and lining up (NHS). The NHS's line for this week is that your baby is putting on weight, "getting ready for the birth in about 21 weeks' time" (NHS).

Your body

Leg cramps are on the NHS's list of common symptoms this week (NHS), and next week's page adds that they may wake you at night (NHS). MedlinePlus says they're common in the last months of pregnancy, and that stretching the legs before bed may reduce them (MedlinePlus).

When one hits, the sources agree on the fix. MedlinePlus: press the feet hard against a wall, or stand on the affected leg (MedlinePlus). The Office on Women's Health: "For sudden cramps, flex your foot forward" (OWH). Both mean the same thing: pull your toes toward your shin, not away from it.

Try today

  1. The cramp stretch

    Time: 3 minutes, before bed, every night this week

    1. Stand an arm's length from a wall, hands flat on it.

    2. Step one foot back, heel on the floor, and lean in until you feel the pull in the calf. Count slowly to twenty.

    3. Swap legs. Do each side twice.

    4. If a cramp wakes you anyway, press the foot hard against the wall or stand on that leg (MedlinePlus), or flex the foot forward (OWH).

    Make it work:

    Keep it gentle. Stretching the legs before bed is MedlinePlus's suggestion for fewer cramps (MedlinePlus); it isn't a workout.

Watch for

  • Normal

    a calf cramp that eases when you stretch it; leg cramps are on this week's list (NHS).

    Call your provider right away

    for pain and swelling in one leg but not the other, which can signal a blood clot (MedlinePlus).

  • Normal

    numb or tingling legs and toes, from the growing uterus pressing on nerves (MedlinePlus).

    Call your provider

    to check any persistent numbness, tingling, or weakness in an arm or leg (MedlinePlus).

  • Normal

    tiredness and sleep problems (NHS).

    Seek care immediately

    for overwhelming tiredness; it's on the CDC's list of urgent maternal warning signs (CDC).

For you

A cramp at 3 a.m. costs you more than the minute it lasts. MedlinePlus's sleep advice for pregnancy is plain: side-lying with the knees bent is likely the most comfortable position, a pillow between the legs relieves pressure, and short daytime naps can make up lost sleep (MedlinePlus). A 15-minute warm bath or a warm, caffeine-free drink before bed can help too (MedlinePlus). Don't take any sleep aid, over-the-counter or herbal, without asking your provider first (MedlinePlus).

If you're the partner: when she sits up with a cramp, you don't need to know anything. Get her foot flat against the wall and stay awake until it passes.

Sources

This guide is general education that summarizes published research and guidance from groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the CDC, and the WHO. It isn’t medical advice, and every child develops on their own timeline. Your pediatrician knows your child; if something feels wrong, call them. In an emergency, call 911.

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